ERIC Number: EJ856840
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jun
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1743-9884
EISSN: N/A
"Facebook," Social Integration and Informal Learning at University: "It Is More for Socialising and Talking to Friends about Work than for Actually Doing Work"
Madge, Clare; Meek, Julia; Wellens, Jane; Hooley, Tristram
Learning, Media and Technology, v34 n2 p141-155 Jun 2009
Whilst recent studies suggest that over 95% of British undergraduate students are regularly using social networking sites, we still know very little about how this phenomenon impacts on the student experience and, in particular, how it influences students' social integration into university life. This paper explores how pre-registration engagement with a university "Facebook" network influences students' post-registration social networks. Research was conducted with first year undergraduates at a British university using an online survey. Students reported that they specifically joined "Facebook" pre-registration as a means of making new friends at university, as well as keeping in touch with friends and family at home. The survey data also illustrate that once at university, "Facebook" was part of the "social glue" that helped students settle into university life. However, care must be taken not to over-privilege "Facebook": it is clearly only one aspect of students' more general social networking practices and face-to-face interrelationships and interactions remain important. Students thought "Facebook" was used most importantly for social reasons, not for formal teaching purposes, although it was sometimes used informally for learning purposes. (Contains 1 table and 5 notes.)
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Informal Education, Student Attitudes, Social Integration, Student Experience, Social Networks, College Students, Teaching Methods, Foreign Countries, Friendship, Student Adjustment, Interaction, Student Surveys, Web Sites
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A